EXPOSING THE DEVIL

2 Corinthians 2:11 – “…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” NKJV

Joshua 9:3-4a – “But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors.” NKJV

We have considered the reality that our victories invite a counter-attack by the forces of hell but we dare not stop there. Next, I would like us to note that before the full frontal assault of the enemy, the inhabitants of the land in Joshua 9 attempted to deceive Israel into making a pact with them. Cohabitation with and a Non-Aggression pact, with the devil, is impossible. He is not a covenant keeper and wants your destruction.

The Gibeonites knew that the overall picture was pretty dark for them and decided that rather than risk an attack that would likely end in defeat they would try deception. They arrived on the scene from Gilgal and pretended to be from a very distant land, a land unknown to Joshua and Israel. They came with all the visible signs of having been on a long journey. They were skillfully crafty, mentioning nothing of Jericho or Ai but talked about the Wilderness. They also claimed to honor and respect the God of Israel.

If you can receive it, this exposes the devil’s tactics. He knows, too well, that a believer who is totally committed to Christ will not be tempted or dissuaded by a frontal attack. He knows that the child of God who is determined to press on and press into God’s Promise will not be stopped by an all-out assault so what does he do?

He suggests possible alliances that seem small and insignificant.

He talks to us about a certain area of our lives over which Jesus has given no specific command, a part so small and seemingly insignificant that it really won’t matter.

He challenges the need for total consecration in everything, after all, we are all human.

He warns us that overdoing it religiously and spiritually will result in being too heavenly minded to be any earthly good and will cause burnout.

He cautions us about becoming too narrow suggesting that we need to be more open to differing beliefs.

He suggests that there is no reason we should not indulge and even become a bit lazy occasionally for after all even Jesus drew aside to rest and relax.

The enemy wants to steal our affection and move us away from our first love. He wants to get us to lower our Christian standards and compromise our convictions even if it is occasional. He comes and suggests that what the church really needs is a common sense approach and that we are in danger of being too radical in our faith and thereby turning people off. He is often difficult to detect and he offers help but his objective is to shipwreck your life. No wonder John warned us in 1 John 4:1 to “…try the spirits, whether they are of God…”

In this account we find Israel, for the first time, seeking to co-mingle with the enemy on Holy Ground. They were doing what God told them not to do. They were violating the principle of “coming out from among them and being separate spiritually”. The Gibeonites crept in! The found the door of gullibility and walked through. Sheep, in the natural, are among the dumbest creatures in existence. In verse 14 we read, “…they did not ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord…” Big mistake! Every alliance must be seasoned in prayer. That is why I refuse to make decisions without first taking them to prayer. If a deal is so good that I have to decide immediately and not given time to pray I pass. The Bible tells us, “…there is a way that seems right to man but the ends are the ways of death.” Gullibility will result in deception and place us in disobedience.

The Bible declares that the devil comes as an “angel of light” and is not always easily detected. Remember the foolish virgins resembled the wise, the tares resembled the wheat, the voice of the hireling sounds much like the shepherd and the wayward meadow is laid out beside the king’s highway and only a soft shoulder separates them. Does a small concession and pact matter? The record gives a clear answer – YES!

Are we to attempt to match the devil in his subtle ways? NO! Do not trust your judgment, intellect or perceived spirituality. Take the matter, every matter to God in prayer and if after prayer you are still in doubt – DON’T! Be strong enough and brave enough to stand still and wait for the Lord for none that wait on Him are ashamed and that is the only way to outmatch and outmaneuver the devil.

If you have failed it is not over! All is not lost! The devil would have you believe so but that is a Lie from the Pit. Joshua and Israel once realizing their error placed the Gibeonites in a position of menial laborers and subjects. God took the scheme of the devil and turned it against the deceivers. Let your mistakes drive you to the altar and allow the Spirit of God to administer forgiveness, healing, deliverance, and restoration. God wants to warn you, wash you and welcome you!

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2 Corinthians 2:11 – “…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” NKJV

Joshua 9:3-4a – “But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors.” NKJV

Paul declared in Corinthians that we are not ignorant of the devices of the devil so let’s study to show ourselves approved unto God workmen capable of exposing his tactics and possessing our promise.

First, I would like for us to take note that the victories of Israel brought about a combined, concentrated and concerted attack of enemy forces. In Joshua 1:9 we find that description and revelation that the tribal warfare that had existed among the Canaanites had been laid aside and they joined forces against Israel. Their petty squabbles and secondary issues were placed on the back burner as they joined forces against a common foe and they amassed an all-out effort to turn back Israel’s advance. That helps us understand the Arab saying, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

It is important to remember that with every victory as a Christian in your personal life you are sending out an engraved invitation for a full-scale assault by the forces of hell. Every time you experience blessing you are one step away from another attack from hell. I do not say that to discourage but to enlighten you. The devil may be a defeated foe but he has not quit, the fight. Blessing and battle go hand in hand and instead of allowing fear to grip your heart rejoice! It should be a joy to know that if we are pressed on every side we are in the heart of the battle and moving in the right direction spiritually. If you are finding temptation almost more than you can bear then rejoice. Remember the words of James, “Count it all joy when…”

I said that in a church once and had a person come to me afterward seeking to set me straight and said, “I don’t know what you are talking about, I haven’t been tempted in years!” If that is you then I suggest that you run to the altar and ask Him to let you see yourself as the devil sees you and as He sees you. The devil does not concern himself with what is not a threat to him. Maybe you have matured to the place that you immediately resist temptation and it is almost as though it does not exist for you but if you are moving forward as a threat to the devil he tempts and sees to destroy.

The need for every believer and every church is to lay aside the secondary issues and launch a full-scale attack on the enemy repossessing and possessing that which he has stolen. Unfortunately, too often, the church world is engaged in tribal warfare and too busy settling petty squabbles and splitting doctrinal hairs to engage the real enemy. There must be jubilation in hell when the church becomes sectarianism protecting the place while the world plunges into darkness. May God help us to never forget that nothing short of a full-scale united assault by all the people of God (Church) is needed. It is time to pull down strongholds and set at liberty those who are bruised. It is time to possess the promise and move into and onto our Canaan.

We are going to pause again and take this up next time as we look at the devil’s deception tactics.

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2 Corinthians 2:11 – “…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” NKJV

Joshua 9:3-4a – “But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors.” NKJV

Without doubt God’s greatest desire for us that we be saved! He has no desire for mankind greater than full salvation and complete deliverance. He wants us to become what He has already declared us – Overcomers! Most have realized or will that this Christian walk is not a bed of roses and there are battles to be fought. Most have realized that a battle won is not a war won nor a battle lost is a war lost. As long as sin lasts and the devil is loosed from the pit there will be conflict. As long as we live in these fleshly bodies there will be temptation. However, it is important to remember no one sin can be regarded paramount nor can any sin be lightly regarded. Any attempt or temptation to compromise with the devil is to invite certain disaster and court sure destruction.

If we can hold it in our hearts and minds that there will be battles lost and times of retreat we can more readily maintain our hope. However, I firmly believe that if or when we lose a battle and are forced into a temporary retreat it is imperative that we find out the true cause of the setback. How? Through prayer! If we come before God in repentance and prayer He will open the curtain and allow us to look beyond the veil and see. Prayer will give us understanding but it takes more than prayer to regain or reclaim the lost ground. We do not render the devil totally defeated in a moment of victory for the process of deliverance is gradual and often slow.

The Law or Plan of God given to believers that brings peace, joy, happiness, life, and health is not given for the purpose of our ease but to enable us to walk in full obedience. We are in a spiritual war and that war pits God’s forces against the devil’s legions. The secret to winning any war lies in strategy. If you fail to plan you plan to fail! Joshua had planned the war against the inhabitants of Canaan carefully. He had taken his forces and driven a wedge westward from Jericho into the heart of the land dividing the forces of the enemy. He then quickly turned south and destroyed the forces there before coming back North to finish the job. He had a plan, God’s plan!

We face a problem in today’s world in our failure to apply God’s Divine Strategy to our daily lives. I have witnessed, too often, believers and churches develop a hold the fort mentality and in so doing offer little or no offensive strategies against the powers of darkness. So it is legitimate to ask, how often do we apply God’s Divine Strategy to our daily action, or planned war against our souls? Some live hit or miss and miss more than they hit resulting in being outmaneuvered by the enemy. Satan is not only a roaring lion he is a subtle serpent and the roar of the lion is far less dangerous than the hiss of the snake spiritually.

Joshua 9 is a classic example of the subtility, trickery, and deception of the devil and exposes the gullibility of man, especially when he becomes overconfident through a few victories. Thank God our God is Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. He overrules our mistakes and failures for His glory. In this passage and account, we find a revelation of the wiliness of the devil and a lesson worthy of learning in today’s world. In this account, we can learn things that will help us expose the devil and move into the victory possessing the place of promise in God our Canaan.

Due to time and space, we will pause here and pick up next time and hopefully provide some valuable information and tools to use in our daily lives in defeating the devil daily.